Tufting-machine.



PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

A. G. BYLES. TUPTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1903.

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PATENTED NOV. Z4, 1903.

A. G. EYLBS. TUFTING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1903.

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ANTON G. EYLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TUFTlNGm-t/ACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,961, dated November 24, 1903. Application led September 5, 1903il Serial No. 172,034. (No model.)

To all whom 7115 may concern:

Beit known that I, ANTON G. EYLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tufting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of machines employed in the upholstering art for tufting the filled tops of couches and other upholstered articles of furniture.

In order to facilitate identification of my improvement, it is expedient to describe generally the construction of a known tuftingmachine to which it is applicable and the operation of performing the work of tufting with the machine, as follows: After the sheet of material for the outside cover has been plaited into diamond-shaped sections of equal area with the pronged buttons affixed to the angles of the sections by penetrating them with the prongs the plaited sheet is spread, with the outer surface underneath, upon the filling-table. This table is equipped with button-holders projecting upward from its surface, with which holders the buttons on the plaited sheet register, to be releasably clamped by them, and the prongs of each button, which project upward from it, and its holder are covered by a hollow wooden pin to shield the holder from the filling, which is applied on the exposed surface of the sheet in desired thickness. Thereupon the shielding-pins are removed and a sheet of duckcloth or other suitable material is stretched over the filling, when the tufting board or table,with the materials upon it, is introduced into a press which acts downwardly against the duck-cloth and compresses the llingunderneath it, thereby causing the ends of the button -prongs to penetrate and protrude through the sheet of duck-cloth. Vashers are then applied over thc protruding ends of the prongs, which are turned over the washers to clench them, whereby the tufting is completed except as to the lateral edges of the pad. These have to be lled, plaited, and tufted by hand, where the cover is leather or imitation leather, after the incompleted pad is removed from the machine, and the work t is difficult and requires such a great expenditure of time in performing it as to add very mal terially to the cost of manufacturing the pad.

The object of my invention is to enable the edge rows of the pad to be finished in the Jrafting-machine, and this I accomplish by the addition to the machine of the feature which constitutes my improvement, hereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a broken plan view of a known form of tufting-table or mold J equipped with my improvement and showing a section of pad upon it covering part of its surface; Fig. 2, a plan view of a section of a finished pad; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the same; Fig. 4, a section taken at the line 4 on Fig. lI viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged; Fig. 5, abroken cross-sectional view of the tufting-table, showing one of the two releasable side rails forming my improvement in operative position by a dotted representation and in its released position by a full-line representation; and Fig. 6, a sectional view in the nature of a diagram, taken at the line 6 on Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrow to portray the initial setting of the buttons in the leather sheet for the edge rows.

A is the tufting-table, commonly supported in horizontal position ata proper elevation on legs or some other suitable form of base. (Not shown.) The surface of the table is equipped with a plurality of button-holders B of any usual or suitable kind, containing `clamps on their upper ends to receive and releasably confine the buttons on a sheet of leather@ to be tufted. Rails D are supported on the table to extend parallel with each other near its lateral edges and to yield outwardly when unfastened. Only the rail for one side of the table is represented in the drawings, owing to the nature of the views selected for illustration; but the rail on the opposite side is just like the one shown. The rails may be rendered thus yielding in various ways;` but I prefer to hinge them at their bases, as indicated at o, and to equip each on its outer side with one or more prop-legs a, pivoted at to swing lengthwise of the rail for releasing it and to bear at its free lower edge against the top of the table for propping IOS the railinits upright operative position. The rails are so formed or placed as to extend along their upper inner edges farther toward the longitudinal center of the table than l along their lower edges, which may be attained ing button-holders B, though it is not indispensably necessary to provide button-holders in these sockets.

The operation in forming a pad Eis as follows: A plaited sheet of leather C, penetrated at the angles of the plaits by the prongs c of buttons F, is prepared for the table A by fastening together the plaits along the line or crease at a; in Figs. 2 and 3 and the prongs of buttons inserted horizontally through the respective folds, as represented diagrammatically in Fig. 6. The leather sheet is then spread face downward upon the table A, and the buttons on the portion ofr the sheet between the rails registering with and engaged by the holders B,and the buttons for the edge rows registering with and entering the sockets,being retained therein by the holders B', if provided, the rails then being secured by the props a in their upright operative positions. To supplement the rails D, rails dare then placed edgewise upon them, as indicated in Fig. 5,for confining the loose filling G at the edges of the pad, these supplemented rails being fastened in place at their ends in any suitable manner. Shielding-pins are then applied, as usual, upon the upwardly-projecting prongs c to cover the holders,and the filling G is arranged on the surface of the sheet to till the space between the rails D, when upon removing the shielding-pins a sheet of duck-cloth H is stretched over the filling. Thereupon the supplemental rails d areremoved and the table A,with the partly-completed pad upon it, is introduced into asuitable press underaperforated board, the holes in which register with the button-prongs in the pad, all in the usual manner. The press is actuated to compress the pad into the condition in which it is represented in Figs. 3 and 4, and while in the press the ends of the prongs caused by the compression to protrude,

through the duck-cloth have washers e passed over them and are then bent over the washers to clench them and retain the pad in that condition. The table A, with the pad, is then removed fromthe press, and the props a are swung to free the rods D and permit them toA be tilted outward on their hinges to the position of the rail represented by the full lines in Fig. 5, thereby releasing the nished pad from confinement on the table under the inner edge portions of the hinged rails. The pad thus finished is ready to be laid on the frame of the article of furniture for which it was made and fastened in place at the loose edges extending from the edge rows While the rails D are shown and described as beim.:f permanently connected with the tilling-table A, they may without departure from my invention be separably attachable thereto to adapt them to be removed for freeing the pad, and they would then be releasable from their operative position, though not, strictly considered, yieldingly releasable as they are when hinged. Moreover, only one upholstered edge row is required to be formed on some articles for which my improved machine may be used, and then only one of the rails D need be provided, and with the provision of the one rail the user of the machine may apply both edges of the articleto be upholstered to it by forming them successively. Hence I do not limit my invention to a plurality of rails D, but intend it to be understood as including the rail if provided only along one edge of the filling-table.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a tufting-machine, the combination with the button-holding filling-table, of one or more side rails each releasably supported thereon, provided with button-sockets and extending at its inner upper-edge portion farther than at its inner lower-edge portion toward the longitudinal center of the table, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a tufting-rnachine, the combination with the button-holding filling-table, of one or more side rails each releasably supported thereon, provided with button-sockets in its bearing side for the pad and having its base narrower than said bearing side to cause the latter to extend farther than said base toward the longitudinal center of the table, substantaining button-holders and extending at its inner upper-edge portion farther than at its inner lower-edge portion toward the longitudinal center of the table, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ICO

IIO

4. In a tufting-machine, the combination with the button-holding filling-table, of one or more side rails each hinged thereon and extending at its inner upper-edge portion farther than at its inner lower-edge portion toward the longitudinal center of the table, and pivoted props on the outer side of said rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a tufting-machine, the combination with the button-holding filling-table, of one or more side rails each hinged thereon, havv ing an ogee inner face extending at the inner upper-edge portion farther than at the inner lower-edge portion toward the longitudinal center of the table, and provided With button-sockets, and means for releasably securing the rail in its operative position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a tufting-machine, the combination With the button-holding illng-table, of one or more side rails each hinged thereon, having an ogee inner face extending et the inner ro upper-edge portion fartherthan at the inner lower-edge portion toward the longitudinal center of the table, and provided with button-sockets, and pivotal props on the outer side of said rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ANTON e. EYLES.

In presence of- SAML. G. PRINCE, WALTER N. WINBERG. 

